News

Search form

Search this site

National Quality Infrastructure

A strong NQI creates opportunities for expanding trade of locally produced goods

The National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) is a platform to strengthen the quality and standard threshold for locally produced goods and services based on international benchmarks. The production of goods and services which meet internationally accepted quality standards is the only platform on which Jamaica can compete and take its place as a strong player in the global marketplace. Its implementation will require the private sector to adhere to international standards (voluntary) and technical regulations (mandatory) but they stand to gain benefits from increased revenue and opportunities for business expansion.

The implementation of the NQI is guided by the following four pillars:

Recent developments towards the implementation of the NQI:

Draft National Quality Policy 2015 - The new policy is guided by current global standards and quality requirements as per the World Trade Organization-Technical Barriers to Trade (WTO-TBT). Consultations are currently underway.

The Establishment of a National Compliance and Regulatory Authority - the Division will be responsible for registering processed food establishments, inspecting goods at the ports of entry and in the domestic market for compliance.

JANAACas signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement - the ILACMRA facilitates global acceptance of the results generated by the conformity assessment bodies, which are accredited by the Jamaica National Accreditation Agency (JANAAC). This recognition helps reduce cost for manufacturers and exporters and eliminates the need for redundant testing of products being exported.

The Nuclear Safety and Radiation Act (2015) - ensures that activities relating to radioactive material, nuclear material and ionizing radiation apparatus are subject to standards of safety and security. The Act also makes provision for the establishment of a national regulatory body, referred to as the Hazardous Substances Regulatory Authority.

Amendments to the Weights and Measures Act (2015) - the legislation ensures uniformity in the laws, regulations and standards that govern weights and measures to achieve equity between buyers and sellers in the marketplace.

Documents

Articles

The Bureau of Standards Jamaica (BSJ) is intensifying its activities to increase the compliance rate among block makers. Already, a number of manufacturers have brought their operations up to...Read more

The country’s food exporters are being urged to become compliant with global labeling requirements in order to increase access to international markets. Certified Food Scientist, Dr. André Gordon,...Read more

The Ministry

Welcome to the official website of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries (MICAF) has been charged with the responsibility of driving the integration of the production of primary agricultural produce along all the stages of the supply chain through to value added and facilitating full commercialization of outputs of the agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors.

We have, therefore, placed much energy and enthusiasm into the development of this website to provide timely information on the Ministry, our agencies and programmes.